Keeping My Word: 7 day chip disappointment... again.

I have problems pushing myself. I also have problems sticking with what I say I'm going to do. But, now I'm so in a rut with this I don't know how to find the motivation to change it. Every let down just proves the rule and I'm getting discouraged.

Case in point: this week's sugar-free/baguette-free 7 day chip goal. Did good for a few days, then got myself in a situation where I was too hungry and couldn't bring myself to be the only one out of the three of us not to get "the best ice cream ever" (Jean-Michel's assessment) that he wanted so bad we drove 60km from the beach we WERE (Salin-de-Giraud) to the town of Saintes-Marie-de-la-Mer to get a cone. The ice cream was amazing, but I knew that I was ashamed of myself when I didn't take a picture of the pretty colors to share with my blog readers. I didn't admit to anyone in the #7daychip group that I'd fallen on Day 3 either. I just quit tweeting so I wouldn't have to mention it. I was embarrassed.

At the gorgeous Salin-de-Giraud beach pre-sugar

From there, it became "Well, at least no baguette." Then, what happened? Rosie and I made cookies and I was going to eat dinner at hers so I was going to bring along a baguette for everyone... But, I ended up not going and was thus left alone with a baguette in my apartment. Complete and utter 7 day chip fail.

I am going to run tonight to at least make my weekly mileage goal, but I still feel like I've let myself down. More importantly, I've let the other tweeps down too. I'm so encouraged by everyone's successes on Twitter and via blogs that when I'm doing poorly, instead of getting on here and talking about how I'm feeling and feeding into that motivation and support, I just shut down and disappear for awhile.

I only have 5 weeks left here in France, so I'm going to try and make the most of it. Get my runs in, eat the food I want in moderation, and try and stick to some kind of plan. I'm going to try from here on out to be more honest with my blog and with my twittering. I'm really struggling for motivation right now and I hope reaching out to you guys will help me get it back.

On that note, my goals for this week are simple: be honest about what I'm doing, avoid food binges (if I'm going to have some baguette, I will have a SERVING of baguette and not half of one like I did this weekend), and get my weekly mileage in (more on that soon).

Thanks for sticking with me (and with the blog). Your comments, advice, and support, really mean a lot, especially since I know that my blog isn't as inspiring as others since I'm currently not seeing amazing losses or fabulous results. I know it's going to get better, I'm going to make it.

Vacation Recap: Part II ('What We Ate')

And now, Part II of my vacation recap: a selection of our food. To be clear, I don't eat like this every day or even often and there are plenty of unpictured packed salad lunches that we had too. I like to take pictures of yummy food because this way I don't forget eating it and can go back and see the photos and think, "Wow, that was a really good indulgence." Plus, food is a big part of vacation/new experiences, why forget it?! This trip was Jon's first time in France, a country and culture that means so much to me and about which I've chosen to focus my life's work (aka teaching)... SO, it was really important to me that he get a chance to really get an authentic experience. That said, France is renowned for it's food, so taste and try food we did. With the exception of pain-au-chocolat (we had it 2x), Jon and I never indulged in the same thing twice and more often than not split all of our desserts.

After that disclaimer, I will admit that I see (even if we walked and biked a lot) exactly how/why I gained 2 kilos, so, I'm going to share the rest of this vacation with you and promptly jump back on my healthy eating bandwagon! Enjoy!

Day 1: Ginette and Marcel's for tartines

Planchette with brie, dried sausage, pâté and pickles

Tartine with ham and mushrooms

Lemon meringue tarte to share for dessert!

Day 2:

No photos... Just picnicked with the students on the field trip. Got wine and shared a dessert that night.

Day 3: Picnic on Ile-de-la-Barthelasse

Hit up the market for some nibbly bits... had a very LIGHT dinner after!

2€ wine? Yes, please.

Sharing a mango/strawberry sorbet

Day 4: Montpellier

Jon's first experience with French pastry... very authentic with McDonald's coffee...

Garlicky steak and fries at Entrecôte in Montpel... Not healthy, but sooo good.

4 macaroons to share. Here are salted caramel and lemon.

Day 5: Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

Jon's first Madeleine at the market... I had a bite.

We also bought some cheese and dried sausage (bull and duck meat) for later picnics

Day 6: Lazy morning pancakes before our hike to Villeneuve

One thing I really missed was boyfriend's pancakes, so he tried to make them for me... Sadly, without baking powder they're really just thick crêpes. How French.

Day 7: Picnicked at the Pont-du-Gard

Sharing 2 crêpes after a day in the sun: nutella (not pictured) and a goat cheese one with fig jam. Om nom nom.

Kept making Jon try new breads here... with the tomme and goat/sheep mix cheese we got at the market in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

Day 8: Wandering around Avignon, then dinner at Amy's

Sharing desserts after risotto at Amy's

Day 9: Picnicking after a bike ride around Ile-de-la-Barthelasse

Post-biking fro yo. I won with a caramel banana combo while Jon opted for nutella

Day 10: Lazy last day in Avignon

Our nice dinner out for Helen's last night... We shared a starter (foie gras w/ fig jam)

Then I got the duck with honey and goat cheese

And we shared a 'moelleux au chocolat' for dessert

Day 11: Wandering around Paris

Picnic by the Eiffel Tower

Day 12: Easter in Paris

Easter falafel with a bunch of salads in Le Marais

Largely unimpressive dinner in Paris's touristy district... Though Jon was happy to have tried snails.

And frog legs

Day 13: Saying goodbye. :(

One last pain au chocolat together before sending Jon through security

This is why I run:

My best friend Chris came to visit last week and I must admit that that led to a lot of off-plan eating (as pictured above). Unsurprisingly, as a result, I wasn't great at tracking this week (but am getting back on track today). I'm feeling pretty good still and I think it's due to the fact that I was able to squeeze in a lot of walking showing her around town as well as a few runs really helped.

We had a really good time. Out of our restaurant experiences we only hit one "truly" French restaurant (Au Tout Petit), though we did enjoy some French pastries, Spanish tapas, and British fish and chips. :)

I'll admit that part of me feels bad for going so stellarly off plan, but I figure that as with all indulgences, it's better to live a little and just make sure that a veer off track doesn't lead to getting spectacularly lost. That said, I clocked in today at my 29 ProPoints, so here's to a good week!

First Real Run of the New Year

Now that it's the New Year, Helen and I have decided that we have to get down to business. She apparently got a lot of mocking back in the UK from her dad and boyfriend (who are both runners) and who don't believe she'll actually do it, so she's returned to Avignon full of determination and pep. I haven't heard anyone tell me they don't think I can do it, but I do want to prove this to myself and make this half marathon part of the proof that I'm spending the rest of these 6 months focusing on me and making me happy. Who knows what these next 6 months will bring based on recent conversations, but, if nothing else, I can at least make sure that I've lived this remaining time in France to the fullest, enjoyed my friends, and kept myself healthy and positive.

Since I've been back in my apartment (which feels really great, by the way), I've been tracking and eating really healthy. I actually had my first run-in with cooking bulgur wheat and, I must say, I'm a big fan. Kyle and I also attempted to make a dessert by warming up bananas with cinnamon and I must have done something different from what my friend Amber does because they were not good.

My friend Kyle playing cheap sommelier in the Casino supermarket under my apartment


I also invested in a coffee pot to brew the yummy American coffee I brought back with me and have been able to enjoy some yummy American-ized breakfast this week, since I also brought back packets of Quaker Oat's Raisin, Walnut, and Date oatmeal. YUM and with added walnuts and cranberries only ends up at 6pts! WOO!




So, as you can see, it's been a good food week. I made extra of that bulgur wheat dish and grilled all of the 8 chicken breasts, so I've been able to reheat meals all week making for a healthy time! :)

Now, onto the aforementioned run. Since I've been back, it's been "balmy" (i.e. around 50ºF with no real wind to speak of) and I've been loving it. It was kind of chilly walking to meet Helen in my sleeveless running top, but it made for a really nice temperature for the run. The first mile was at a great pace: 11:45, but it proved to be unsustainable as you can see for our remaining miles (that are a bit skewed, I suppose since we took a walk break at 1.5 miles for .1 miles and stopped for water 3 or so times). I forgot to wear my HRM, but, from the way I was feeling, I know that my HR was at least consistently into the 180s (which is where I get really really uncomfortable) if not higher.



It was a really tough run (which is embarrassing to say) and, though my legs aren't sore at all today, my back and abs really are... Have any of you ever had that happen? Anyway, I'm glad we got out there--we're still working on our plan and are going on a 4-miler tomorrow before starting "real" training next week. Here goes!

Oh and to end on an adorable note, here's a cute photo of one of the girls I babysit (Thymiane or "Tim") and me sharing some jasmine tea on Wednesday. She's the oldest and is starting to enjoy doing grown-up girly things. I love them!

Judith's Visit (keeping busy)

Judith's visit was exactly what I needed this weekend. Not that I feel particularly better, but it was really good to be with someone who know's me well, can give good advice, keep me busy, have a good time, and, bonus, kind of explain to me what I'm supposed to be reading for Emory. I started reading it and, after reading the introduction, understood less than when I started (seems to be a theme with me this week).

Her visit was also good since she got me to eat regularly for the first time all week. I took her to Ginette and Marcel's for tartines when she first got in and the back the next day for a dessert and tea/coffee. Seriously, if any of you visit me, Ginette and Marcel's is the first place we will go. We also checked out Avignon's Christmas market, drank vin chaud, talked a lot, and took a few walks around the city. She even treated me to dinner at Chez Ripert, a really typical French restaurant in town. Like I said, exactly what I needed.

Avignon's Christmas market is now in full swing.
Sadly I'm a) poor and b) done with most of my xmas shopping!
Judith checking out some "Santons" de provence. People here in the South of France collect them much in the way Americans make Dickens Christmas villages.



Yummy vin chaud and a treat (a small piece of pistachio bark from a nearby artisan's booth)

And, since I blog, photos of my dinner at Chez Ripert. Let's just say I got some odd looks while making these photos happen!

Entrée (which in France means 'appetizer'):
Foie Gras with spiced bread and fig chutney
Plat (main dish):
Magret de canard (duck) with mashed potatoes and sautéed green beans and mushrooms
Me, wearing a new dress J convinced me to buy that day, with my delish food
Dessert:
Poached pear with chocolate sauce and whipped cream
Obligatory after dinner (decaf) coffee
A shared bottle of delicious local wine and a funky water carafe
A photo of a drawing in the menu. For such a traditional restaurant with delicious food, I always find it funny that their menus are handwritten in the little notebooks my French kids use in class. Apparently other French people think the same thing, since (in this photo) someone has taken to writing lines in the back of the menu (the most typical punishment for French primary students)
Dinner was perfect and we spent a few hours just eating and listening to that evening's musician singing French standards (and on breaks random American songs over the radio). Like with my 36 points of beer, I tracked this whole meal too (as best as I could). I used most of my weekly points, but it was so worth it.



We also checked out Ginette and Marcel's for an afternoon "goûter" i.e. snack. I got a yummy raspberry tarte and a tea (also tracked) and Judith and I chatted a bit about everything. It's kind of embarrassing to cry (lightly) in a restaurant, but it's getting better. Plus, at least I looked good, right? I may or may not have bought the same sweater dress in tan as well...





Sadly, we both had to get back on our way Monday AM and she left to go spend the rest of the week up in Paris with the snow and ice. :( I wish she could have stayed longer, but I hope to see her when I'm home in less than TWO weeks and again when she's back in Paris in June. Again, the goal for the moment is just to stay busy!

Last night one of my British friends hosted a Mince Pie/Mulled Wine Christmas Party at her flat, so that was fabulous. More on that and today's run later! :)